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Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Chapter 2
Ethics for IT Professionals and IT
Users
Objectives
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

 What key characteristics distinguish a professional from other kinds

of workers, and what is the role of an IT professional?

 What relationships must an IT professional manage, and what key

ethical issues can arise in each?

 How do codes of ethics, professional organizations, certification, and

licensing affect the ethical behavior of IT professionals?
Objectives (continued)
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

 What are the key tenets of four different codes of ethics that provide
guidance for IT professionals?

 What are the common ethical issues that face IT users?

 What approaches can support the ethical practices of IT users?

IT Professionals
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

 Profession is a calling that requires

 Specialized knowledge
 Long and intensive academic preparation
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Are IT Workers Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Professionals?
 Partial list of IT specialists
 Programmers
 Systems analysts
 Software engineers
 Database administrators
 Local area network (LAN) administrators
 Chief information officers (CIOs)
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Are IT Workers Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Professionals? (continued)
 Legal perspective
 IT workers are not recognized as professionals
 Not licensed
 IT workers are not liable for malpractice
 7

Professional Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Relationships That Must Be

Managed
 IT professionals have many different relationships with:
 Employers
 Clients
 Suppliers
 Other professionals
 IT users
 Society at large
 8

Relationships Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and

Employers
 IT professionals must set an example and enforce policies regarding
the ethical use of IT
 Software piracy is the act of illegally making copies of software or
enabling others to access software to which they are not entitled
 Software piracy is an area in which IT professionals can be tempted
to violate laws and policies
 The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a trade group that
represents the world’s largest software and hardware manufacturers
 Its mission is to stop the unauthorized copying of software produced by its
members
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Members of Business Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Software Alliance (as of July 2005)

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Relationships Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and

Employers (continued)
 Trade secret
 Information used in business
 Generally unknown to the public
 Company has taken strong measures to keep confidential
 Whistle-blowing
 Attracts attention to a negligent, illegal, unethical, abusive, or dangerous
act that threatens the public interest
 11

Relationships Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and

Clients
 IT professional provides
 Hardware, software, or services at a certain cost and within a given time
frame
 Client provides
 Compensation
 Access to key contacts
 Work space
 Relationship is usually documented in contractual terms
 12

Relationships Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and

Clients (continued)
 Ethical problems arise if a company recommends its own products
and services to remedy problems they have detected
 A company is unable to provide full and accurate reporting of a project’s
status
Legal Overview: Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition
13

Fraud, Misrepresentation,
and Breach of Contract
 Fraud
 Crime of obtaining goods, services, or property through deception or
trickery
 Fraud is proven in court
 Breach of contract
 One party fails to meet the terms of a contract
Legal Overview: Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition
14

Fraud, Misrepresentation, and

Breach of Contract (continued)
 IT projects are joint efforts in which vendors and customers work
together
 Difficult to assign blame
 15

Relationships Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and

Suppliers
 Develop good relationships with suppliers
 Deal fairly with them
 Do not make unreasonable demands
 Bribery
 Providing money, property, or favors to someone in business or
government to obtain a business advantage
 U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) makes it a crime to bribe a
foreign official, a foreign political party official, or a candidate for foreign
political office
 16

Relationships Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and

Suppliers (continued)
 Bribery
 At what point does a gift become a bribe?
 No gift should be hidden
 Perceptions of donor and recipient can differ
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Distinguishing Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between a Bribe and a Gift

 18

Relationships Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and

Other Professionals
 Professionals owe each other adherence to a profession’s code of
conduct
 Ethical problems between members of the IT profession
 Résumé inflation
 Inappropriate sharing of corporate information
 19

Relationships Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and IT

Users
 IT user is a person for whom a hardware or software product is
designed
 IT professionals’ duty
 Understand users’ needs and capabilities
 Deliver products and services that best meet those needs
 Establish an environment that supports ethical behavior by users
Relationships
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

Between IT Professionals and

Society
 Actions of an IT professional can affect society
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The Ethical Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Behavior of IT Professionals
 Corporations are taking actions to ensure good business ethics
among employees
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Professional Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Codes of Ethics
 A professional code of ethics states the principles and core values
that are essential to the work of a particular occupational group
 Main parts:
 Outlines what the professional organization aspires to become
 Lists rules and principles by which members of the organization are
expected to abide
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Professional Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Codes of Ethics (continued)

 Benefits for individual, profession, and society
 Improves ethical decision making
 Promotes high standards of practice and ethical behavior
 Enhances trust and respect from the general public
 Provides an evaluation benchmark
 24

Professional Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Organizations
 No universal code of ethics for IT professionals
 No single, formal organization of IT professionals has emerged as
preeminent
 Most prominent organizations include:
 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
 Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
 Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE-CS)
 Project Management Institute (PMI)
Certification
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

 Indicates a professional possesses a particular set of skills,

knowledge, or abilities in the opinion of a certifying organization
 Can also apply to products
 Generally voluntary
 Carries no requirement to adhere to a code of ethics
 26

Certification Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

(continued)
 Vendor certifications
 Some certifications substantially improve IT workers’ salaries and career
prospects
 Relevant for narrowly defined roles
 Or certain aspects of broader roles
 Require passing a written exam
 Workers are commonly recertified as newer technologies become
available
Certification
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

(continued)
 Industry association certifications
 Require a certain level of experience and a broader perspective than
vendor certifications
 Lag in developing tests that cover new technologies
Government Licensing
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

 Generally administered at the state level in the United States

 Case for licensing IT professionals
 Encourage IT professionals to follow the highest standards of the
profession
 Practice a code of ethics
 Violators would be punished
 29

Government Licensing Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

(continued)
 Issues associated with government licensing of IT professionals
 There are few international or national licensing programs for IT
professionals
 No universally accepted core body of knowledge
 Unclear who should manage content and administration of licensing
exams
 No administrative body to accredit professional education programs
 No administrative body to assess and ensure competence of individual
professionals
 30

IT Professional Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Malpractice
 Negligence has been defined as not doing something that a
reasonable man would do, or doing something that a reasonable
man would not do
 Duty of care refers to the obligation to protect people against any
unreasonable harm or risk
 Courts consistently reject attempts to sue individual parties for
computer-related malpractice
IT Users
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

 Employees’ ethical use of IT is an area of growing concern

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Common Ethical Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Issues for IT Users

 Software piracy
 Inappropriate use of computing resources
 Inappropriate sharing of information
 Private data
 Confidential information
 33

Supporting the Ethics in Information Technology,

Second Edition

Ethical Practices of IT Users

 Policies that protect against abuses:
 Establish boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior
 Enable management to punish violators
 Policy components include:
 Defining and limiting the appropriate use of IT resources
 Establishing guidelines for use of company software
 Structuring information systems to protect data and information
 Installing and maintaining a corporate firewall
Manager’s Checklist of Items to Consider when
Establishing an IT Usage Policy 34
Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition
Summary
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Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

 A professional from a legal standpoint

 Has passed the state licensing requirements
 Has earned the right to practice there
 IT professionals have many different relationships
 Each with its own set of ethical issues and potential problems
 Professional code of ethics
 States the principles and core values essential to the work of an
occupational group
Summary (continued)
36
Ethics in Information Technology,
Second Edition

 Licensing and certification of IT professionals

 Many people feel that certification will increase the reliability and
effectiveness of information systems
 Raises many issues
 IT-related professional organizations have developed a code of
ethics
 IT usage policy defines appropriate and inappropriate IT user
behavior
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
ETHICS
Keyword Principle
[Link] Software engineers shall act
consistently with public interest

2. Client Software engineer shall act in a

manner that is in the best
interests of their client,
employer and that is consistent
with public interest.
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
ETHICS
Keyword Principle
[Link] Software engineers shall ensure
that their products and related
modifications meet the highest
professional standards possible

4. Judgement Shall maintain integrity and

independence in their
professional judgement
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
ETHICS
Keyword Principle
[Link] Software engineering
managers and leaders shall
subscribe to and promote an
ethical approach to the
management of software
dev’t and maintenance

6. Profession Software engineers shall

advance the integrity and
reputation of the profession
consistent with the public
interest
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
ETHICS
Keyword Principle
[Link] Software engineers shall be fair
to and supportive of the
colleagues

8. Self Software engineers shall

participate in lifelong learning
regarding the practice of their
profession and promote an
ethical approach to the practice
of their profession.